Welcome to Our ETEC 511 Wiki - History of Educational Technology
Peggy
Emily Alexis Eric
Sunday, November 6th ok - I submitted the assignment via the assignment drop box and I wrote an email to Matiul and cc'd you guys to say that it was there and asked him if anything else is required...hopefully that's it! -I also created a new thread and posted the direct link to the wrapup page on the wordpress blog Awesome. Thanks, Alexis. ...and now we wait...
Saturday, November 5th
thanks for the feedback. I will post this on the wrap-up section of our blog and I will officially submit our assignment to Matiul. Do I need to also send an email to the entire class about our wrap-up? Is that necessary?
I don't think there is any requirement to actually submit an assignment, other that what we have already done - or am I missing something? I think we just discussed among ourselves that we really should have a summary, and that this should be presented to the class. I'd post what you have here Alexis into our Discussion Forum section, maybe into the Introduction section as a new thread. I just think having somewhat of a formal wrap-up is a good idea. I wouldn't email anything separately to Matiul. I thought we were supposed to email Matiul when we were done...Sounds good then - post in our discussion area & email Matiul. Time to put this project to bed. Thanks again Alexis for the summary - its very good.
Friday, November 4th
please look this over - feel free to edit, revise, cut, add, etc...not sure of how to end it though... I think that's very good Alexis - you've done a great job. I made a few minor suggestions to wording but really like the thoughts you've put forth. I don't mind that last sentence as the ending. I sign off on this. I like it. Done. Thanks, Alexis. It looks great.
Overall, we felt that our presentation on the history of educational technology was successful; our peers were engaged in the discussions and related activities, and we provided clear summaries of the readings as well as a variety of interactivities.
One of our goals was to remind our audience of our past with technology and encourage reflection back to our earliest memories through the historical timeline, the influence of Apple Computers on educational technology culture, and the Children of Telstar. We also tried to glimpse at the future of education and technology through our interactivities, particularly the Old School, New School video quiz as well as the Ted talk video with Johnny Lee's inexpensive interactive white board alternative.
A number of interesting points were raised in the discussion of McLuhan’s article, ‘The Medium is the Message’. Are the social graces and customs of past generations being wiped clean by the internet? The prolific use of technology for communication, especially texting, emailing, and message boards has caused many individuals to write and say things they may not in a face to face situation. Our ethics cannot keep up with the rapid advances of technology. Simply put, the way in which our technology effects and affects us is the ‘message’. The technology bringing about these changes is the ‘medium’.
Most of our audience stated that the Internet is the most significant technological shift that has affected education. The Internet has provided students with a 'library at their fingertips'; learning can easily take place beyond classroom walls, and it has been a catalyst for the growth of online courses. Furthermore, the need for students to develop Internet literacy skills has become much more crucial in the age of 21st century learning. Others also mentioned that the implementation of Wi-Fi technology has allowed for more accessible and portable Internet use.
Our colleagues were also asked to comment on their position on the ‘Old School New School’ spectrum after completing a quiz to determine their educational perspective on digital media and technology. Positions on the spectrum ranged from ‘skeptic’ to ‘old school’ or ‘new school’. In a new school setting, the teacher’s role is more of a facilitator where student collaboration is valued. Furthermore, The accompanying video states that teachers “...sometimes have to be entertainers...”This comment generated some discussion; one noted that being entertained does not equate to being engaged, and that the priority should be engagement for students over entertainment. Another noted that the role of teacher as entertainer could be interpreted as learning being fun, enjoyable, and playful.
Perhaps the ideal is to achieve a balance between old school and new school methods. Instead of completely phasing out old school strategies, combining them with new technologies may prove to be effective. For example, combining the use of Twitter along with the Socratic method of questioning may teach students to be succinct in their responses while allowing several people to engage in debate over an issue. However, another person noted that in the wake of new school methods, students may “...lose their ability to persevere and rationalize their way through more difficult and tedious tasks because they are so accustomed to immediate feedback and responses...” The use of technology has ultimately led teachers to find new ways to connect with students and has helped create communities which encourage lifelong learning.
Wednesday, November 2nd
sorry for being slow with this guys - I only started working on this tonight and will get this done over the weekend...
brief summary (not nearly finished) so far:
One of the goals of our presentation was to remind our audience of our past with technology and encourage reflection back to our earliest memories through the historical timeline, the influence of Apple Computers andon educational technology culture, and the Children of Telstar. We also wanted to glimpse at the future of education and technology through our interactivities, particularly the Old School, New School video quiz as well as the Ted talk video on Johnny Lee. A number of interesting points were raised in the discussion of McLuhan’s article, ‘The Medium is the Message’. Are the social graces and customs of past generations being wiped clean by the internet? The prolific use of technology for communication, especially texting, emailing, and message boards has caused many individuals to write and say things they may not in a face to face situation. Our ethics cannot keep up with the rapid advances of technology. Simply put, the way in which our technology effects and affects us is the ‘message’. The technology bringing about these changes is the ‘medium’. Most of our audience stated that the Internet is the most significant technological shift that has affected education. It has provided students with a 'library at their fingertips'; in other words, instant access to information. Learning can easily take place beyond classroom walls, and the Internet has been a catalyst for the growth of online courses. Furthermore, the need for students to develop Internet literacy skills has become much more crucial in the age of 21st century learning. Others also mentioned that the implementation of Wi-Fi technology has allowed for more accessible and portable Internet use.
Looks good so far. Should we be admitting that we didn't understand the McLuhan article? No need to tip our hand, no?... I agree with Eric here, and actually I thought we had pretty good class participation on that topic. Not quite as much with the others, but not bad - I'm glad we included that question. sure - I can make the changes about McLuhan in the summary
Sunday
Sorry, because I missed that last online chat, I don't want to miss anything else. I had thought I was just supposed post some thoughts on how it all went, but I am just double checking that I don't have additional responsibilites that I have missed! :) -No, you're all good Emily. We just wanted a paragraph or 2 to wrap up our week, and thought we'd begin by posting some thoughts & ideas. I've been away at teachers' convention, then a conference, for most of the last week. I don't even think a formal wrap-up is required, but we thought it would be good to do it anyway - and post it both on our blog site as well as in Vista. Now that some thoughts have been posted - who'd like to take a stab at writing up a nice, concise summary?
Sorry. Life caught up with my this week. It's been crazy around here...
The summary and stuff looks great. I think all the bases have been covered. As Peggy mentioned, are we going into too much detail on some of the questions? I'm not even really sure what to say at this point: the week went well, there was TONS of discussions about all kinds of things, everybody wins!
I'm still trying to get caught up with everything that's been going on over here. Hopefully I'll be more useful tomorrow.
Looking good guys. I don't have much to add. If we're going to go into a little depth on 1 or 2 questions, we should probably do the same for all. We probably don't need to go into too much detail for them. Critiquing our own work - never hurts, but I would call it critiquing, not criticizing. What might we have done differently? I was pretty happy with how it all went, and the degree of participation from the classmates. Perhaps we could have added a chat, but I don't know if it would have added much - I personally feel people can get into a little more depth & detail with their written postings, and certainly not everyone is able to make it to the selected chat times.
What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
-the response that generated the most discussion from this question was the Internet, and how it has provided students with instant access to information, in essence, a 'library at their fingertips' - one even mentioned that a library without computers is useless -the Internet has allowed learning to go beyond classroom walls -critical thinking needs to be taught with online research; students need media literacy skills (one of the 21st century skills) to be able to critically evaluate websites -Internet - has also allowed online education to grow -the use of Wi-Fi has enabled easier, portable Internet use (a better alternative to dial-up connections) no longer a need for computer labs or even stand-alone computer courses (more integration with IT in the curriculum) -one other participant mentioned the use of touch-screen technology (iPads, Smartboards etc.) - this has allowed access to information to be even more direct and immediate, this type of technology fits students who could not use keyboards or mice effectively (special needs students, or even students who have difficulties with fine motor skills) -touch-screen technology helps students who are visual (and also kinesthetic) learners - they can manipulate icons with their fingers, opens up access and control more easily
-sorry - the only question I haven't summarized is the McLuhan one, mainly because I still don't understand it....:) I'll do the McLuhan one.
Do you think Marshall McLuhan’s argument that “the medium is the message” holds true today? How does it relate specifically to educational technology? Is content only secondary to the medium? - good discussion on "consequences" (or message) of technology. - the prolific use of technology for communication - texting, email, message boards - has led many to write and say things they may not in a first person situation. The anonymity and safety of the digital age are causing everyone to walk around with their chests puffed out. - are the social graces and customs of past generations being wiped clean by the internet? - The incredible technical advances are unfolding at a rate that our ethics can't seem to keep pace with. - The way in which our technology effects and affects us is "the message". - The technology bringing about these changes is "the medium".
* interesting discussions, though I think some people may have over-generalized things. Not every act of human stupidity or violence fits the "The Medium is the Message" framework. Some people - in the world - are just plain stupid. (Not the people in our class. Other people. Like Vancouver-lost-the-Stanley-Cup-so-let's-burn-things-to-the-ground people.)
Sat. -thanks Emily for your thoughts - I think we have a good start so far :) don't know if it is necessary to criticize aspects of our presentation? what do you guys think? -here are mine - apologies for the stream-of-consciousness here (will finish summarizing the other questions tomorrow)
Think of your own educational background as a student, and as an educator. Was there any particular technology, hardware or software, that really stands out in your memory? Why? Was it for its educational value, or just something fun and new? - responses to this question varied:
-one participant mentioned that a 'teaching machine' stood out in his memory, which draws an obvious parallel to the teaching machines invented by Pressey (rote and drill teaching machine) and Skinner according to the history of ed tech -the start of a computer science class was also mentioned - more particularly the invention of punch card computing -the introduction of a computer in a classroom - typically one or two would be available at the back or side of a classroom where you had to sign in and these computers were seen as fragile or untouchable, where a majority of the students would complete their work on typewriters -the use of a digital projector was also mentioned, allowing for presentations to be displayed easily -the availability of periodical indexes on CD-ROM
The video in Activity 2, Old School New School presents two somewhat extreme views on technology use in the classroom. Where do you fit into the spectrum? Is Old School always bad, New School always good? Why fix what isn’t broken versus technology is the only way to reach today’s students? How do we know which path is really the right educational track? -as expected, people had different positions on the spectrum, ranging from skeptic,'Old School','New School' -there was some debate over whether new school methods don't require a teacher at all, just a technology assistant; however, there is still a place for teachers and their instructional strategies in a 'new school' environment (taking on more of the facilitator or guidance role in a constructivist learning environment) where student collaboration is valued -the video at one point states that "sometimes we have to be entertainers" - one person noted that being entertained doesn't equate to being engaged, and that the priority should be engagement for students over entertainment (although difficult to sometimes do depending on the age level of your students); another person mentioned that the role of teacher as entertainer could be interpreted as learning being fun, enjoyable and playful
-perhaps the ideal is to achieve a balance between old school and new school - instead of doing away with the old methods, combining them with new technologies may prove to be effective (one person mentioned an example - combining Twitter and the Socratic method of questioning, which may teach students to be succinct/concise in their responses, while allowing several people to engage in debate) -another person mentioned that students may "lose their ability to persevere and rationalize their way through more difficult and tedious tasks because they are so accustomed to immediate feedback and responses" as a result of new school technologies -another point - the use of technology leads to finding new ways to connect with students and create community that encourages learning
Thurs
Some thoughts for our summary:
I think our goal was to remind our audience of our past (in terms of technology) and encourage reflection back to our earliest memories of technology. Also, I think we wanted to give a glimpse into the future of education and technology with things like the TedTalk video, the Old School, New School video/quiz.
Is entering into the future going to be with little steps or big steps? Is this dictated by the past - do we think the past is composed of big or little steps?
I think the Steve Jobs/Apple page was a timely tribute - I think it is great that we highlighted one of the world's leading technological companies, especially since so many of their products are used for educational purposes.
I am glad that we had a discussion question about the McLuhan reading - I think we struggled with the decision to include it, but I feel like many of our audience may have also struggled with the reading, and although it is not as discussed as the other threads, there has been a lot of back and forth discourse, which I think will have really helped people to understand or gain insights on this paper and message and how it relates to present day - and great job to Eric - you def. had to reign that discussion back to topic:)
I got the impression that people really enjoyed answering our discussion questions - I think people actually had fun with our presentation, which is great, as I find a lot of this technology business is so serious
Alexis, Eric, please let me know if you'd like more feedback for the summary:). I didn't really add any criticisms of our presentation as I don't think we want to present ourselves in that light - but I can add a few constructive criticisms if necessary. Will check back tomorrow.
Wed
Sorry all, for missing the chat last night. I didn't even check the wiki yesterday...Will def. post some thoughts up on the wiki to contribute to our summary. Will post some thoughts here tomorrow:)
Tuesday Evening
we had a chat Tuesday evening to discuss our wrap-up for the assignment - we decided to collaborate on our wrap-up here and it will be synthesized into 1-2 paragraphs on our blog
begin to post your thoughts on what we did, our discussion questions, and how people responded to these discussion questions
afterwards, one of us will upload the final version of our assignment to submit to Matiul, with our complete wrap-up
we want to aim to have this finished by Monday at the latest
Tuesday Afternoon
I'm around tonight as well - can meet at 7 if it works for anyone? Peggy and I are there now, Alexis. Jump on in!
Are we gettin' together tonight to go over things? I'm good with whatever/whenever. Just lemme' know, please.
Monday
Didn't even think of a chat until Matuil sent around the email. Not something that has been overy effective this term maybe but guess we could have advertised one & given it a go. I would have been absent at any rate I'm afraid (our teacher convention).
Thursday Morning
I got a response. Our questions are four threads in the "Agenda" section.
Wednesday Evening
:-)
I just fired off a quick email to Matiul regarding where to stick our Discussion questions. I like the idea of having a distinct forum for each question in lieu of the generic "Planning" and "Agenda" ones that are there for every week. Hopefully he'll get back to me shortly and I'll be able to prep everything tonight - or early in the morning...
Wednesday Afternoon
Ok, looks like we're done. Thanks to Peggy for putting on the final touches on the Interactivities pages! Great job everyone! It looks really good:)
ok - I'm signing off - timeline has 14 entries and now has billy joel :)
This is exciting being so close to the finish line (or at least for this part of the project)! I'm good with moving the questions to the Interactivities page; I'll modify the home page for that. I think 2 questions is not enough for some choice, and suggest this for wording, as well as an introductory blurb that will be moved off the home page. Questions 1 & 4 are similar but I don't mind having them as separate questions:
We’ll invite you to contribute to our discussions which are posted inside our Vista class. Pick one topic or several that you feel most drawn to. While each topic contains several starter questions to encourage reflection, please talk only to the points that speak to you the most, or introduce your own thoughts. We also encourage the class to participate in deep & rich discussions on a few key topics instead of starting multiple independent thoughts or reflections.
Think of your own educational background as a student, and as an educator. Was there any particular technology, hardware or software, that really stands out in your memory? Why? Was it for its educational value, or just something fun and new?
Do you think Marshall McLuhan’s argument that “the medium is the message” holds true today? How does it relate specifically to educational technology? Is content only secondary to the medium?
The video in Activity 2, Old School New School presents two somewhat extreme views on technology use in the classroom. Where do you fit into the spectrum? Is Old School always bad, New School always good? Why fix what isn’t broken versus technology is the only way to reach today’s students? How do we know which path is really the right educational track?
What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
Oh, and I'm good to go!
Hi - the resources page is complete - sorry some of the URLs are quite long so they go a bit past the text box when you view...I also moved my historical timeline stuff to the Interactivities page...just heading home now from school, and I will work on finishing up my timeline and then sign off..
Hi All. I've cleaned up the four discussion questions I think we should go with. Can you let me know if you want anything changed with them. I've included a Mcluhan question. As Eric and I said below, I feel like we should have these only on the Interactivites page, as it is a lot of info on the first page. Is that ok? I'm ok with that. Once I hear back from Alexis and Peggy, I will make the changes! And then sign off:) Thanks to all for your hard work:)
1. What was the first type of educational technology you remember using as a student that really stands out in your memory (e.g. Oregon Trail)? Why do you think this technology is so memorable and did it have any meaningful input into your learning? 2. After watching the video in activity 2, please answer one or all of the following questions: Is technology overused in the class? Are the old instructional methods necessarily bad? How do we know which path is really the right educational track? 3.Explain the significance of McLuhan’s contributions to the history of educational technology. Why do you think his article was included in this week’s readings? What are we to learn from “the medium is the message”? Is the medium still the message? 4.What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
A few things things, Group:
I'm signing off on my contributions - they're as interesting as they're ever gonna' get. I also got rid of the "Historical Timeline" menu item as it now lives in Interactivities. Great! Thanks.
I see Emily's point in the discussion question situation. I agree that we should move them to the Interactivities page and leave them there.
As for our boy McLuhan - I'm really quite torn. That being said, McLuhan is drier'n dirt and isn't really worth taking about. Of course, Peggy has posted a harmless question below that we could at least play lip service to the article with. The questions regarding "change" and "past favourites" all are in line with the Telstar article, so we're covered there... I'm torn. I could vote either way. (though something tells me we should probably include McLuey.) That's fine. It is probably good to have one reading related article. yeah - Eric I think you're right too. we should probably have a McLuhan related question
Tues afternoon & Evening
Hi. I'm a bit confused, because the discussion question don't really match the ones we agreed on on the interactives pages. Should I change mine to match the ones on the first page? Also, if I can add a bit of constructive criticism, I think the fourth question has a bit too much in it. I'm almost thinking the discussion questions should just be listed on one page only (probably the interactivites page), as it just seems like a lot of extra text. Thoughts anyone?
Great meeting guys! I was just making some of the updates, then read our discussion questions again. We have two that are very similar:
Maybe one about some of the ed tech you used as a K-12 student. Did any stand out and have meaningful input into your learning? Did you play any educational games of value?
In your educational career, what has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
Could we possibly combine those, then put the McLuhan one back in? I still think no one is gonna go for this question. I think we should skip it,but what does everyone else think?
Explain the significance of McLuhan’s contributions to the history of educational technology. Why do you think his article was included in this week’s readings? What are we to learn from “the medium is the message”? Is the medium still the message?
Hey, Group! The site is coming along nicely. Now I feel badly about how boring my contributions are. There's not much fun to be had explaining course readings... Everyone else's work looks like such fun! Man... "See" you all again tonight at 7:00 (Pacific) right?
Tues morn.
Good morning. Please remind me to ask about my references at our meeting tonite. Having trouble sourcing some dates and producers etc and also can't get the second line to tab in on all my resources....Thanks.
Monday Evening
Hi guys - apologies again for not being able to meet up tonight - can meet up at 7 tomorrow if you guys are meeting up Yes - 7 your time, 8 my time - sounds good! I'll be there!
Hi Peggy. Like the youtube video with all the stats. I think it was the digital nation one:)
Alexis, timeline looks good. Music will be a great addition.
Looking for a video to replace "how google saved a school' on the activities page. Any suggestions?
Sorry I missed it. I showed up at 7:00 and was all alone. Are we gonna' try again for Tuesday? Shoot! . Emily & I met at 6 VR time, 7 SK time, but I think the mix-up was more because we were both wiki-ing it up at the some time. Eric, if you are still around I can connect again & go over what Emily & I discussed. We plan to meet again tomorrow - what Vancouver time would you like - 6 or 7?
Boy - that video raises a very good debating/discussion point! Do we sometimes use technology too much in the class? Should we be competing with multi-tasking? Has technology - in school & life in general - done harm or at least changed the way people learn & think? Is being able to copy & paste from Sparknotes acceptable? Are we concerned that we are heading down a technological path that maybe isn't the best path to be on? I like this better than the Google School video, for sure.
Peggy
Mon aft.
I started creating an interactive timeline on capzles.com - here is the link if you want to take a look:
I can add music to the timeline as well, so I can include 'We Didn't Start the Fire' if you guys still want - yes, still a timeline as done in the past, but at least it looks different :)
Good job Alexis. Continue, and I say add music. We can never cover everything; I have a few key Apple things on the Apple page, so rather than focus a lot on that continue where you see fit. I was thinking more on educational videos somewhere, but then I thought we could go on forever with such details. Perhaps write a discussion question that we could use where others can add suggestions. Or if it's easy for them to do add to your timeline. I vote for letting you decide what would work best/easiest.
Needs the music. Everything is better with Billy Joel.
I haven't finished it yet - don't know if I should invite classmates to contribute their own events in ed tech to the timeline (so far I only have 9) what I could do is invite them to do this, and have them logon to the account...or, my other thought is to have them leave comments on events already on the timeline as they see fit - what do you guys think?
I like the idea of other people outside of our group adding their own events - makes it seem more "communal" somehow.
I plan to add more, but not sure of what else to add and of how much (can incorporate more of Apple's history as well - only have two events so far with that)
Hi All! Have tried to put my page up, but it seems I am not able to "publish" my content. I can only "submit it for review" - I don't know what that means or who is reviewing it...can any of you see anything under the Interactivities Page? Under the blog info, I'm only listed as a contributor...does this matter? Do I need to be an administrator as well?
If you can see my work, anything in pink is things I'd like suggestions about or need editing. I've included a poll and videos although they are not showing up in the proper format on the
screen that I can see....argghhhh.
Try again - I just changed your status to administrator; though I already had everyone at that status. THanks Peggy, now it works.
Please let me know if anyone can see anything I've posted or if you have any suggestions. Also wondering how to get from "submit for review' to being able to "publish". Thanks!
Also, can we meet tonite to discuss progress?
Yes. What time? How about 7 pm Vancouver time? Sounds good to me! sorry - I can't meet tonight - I will try and finish up my stuff by tomorrow night (sorry Peggy - I know you wanted to get going sooner)So, uh, are we "meeting" tonight or not? And if so, where?
Some thoughts about that Google Saved the school video - 1st time I viewed it the other day I thought i should automatically like it (who wouldn't - Google saved a school!). Watching again, it's not my favourite video. It really doesn't explain why tech is really a good thing. One teacher's words - a few years ago he used chalk, then markers, now a smartboard. But what is missing - is that important? Are his kids learning more/better with a smartboard? Without that critical piece - why switch to more expensive technology? Personally I think maybe there are better videos to use here.
Possible Discussion Questions
(One or two for fun might not be a bad thing)
Visit some of the game links we've provided, or remember ones you've played in the past. What were your favourites? Did you play any "educational" games? Do you think gaming has any valid role in education today? - I remember seeing this question in ETEC 512, as I think one of the modules was related to the value of educational games - don't know if that matters though...
[Change the wording, but a good McLuhan question might be good to include. Eric, you can likely come up something better than this, as our McLuhan expert]. According to Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message. Although McLuhan's comments were made in the pre-personal computer age, do you think it is still applicable today? What does it say about the role of computers and other electronic technology in education? Now that the classrooms are made up of Digital Natives, is the medium still more important than the message?
Marshall McLuhan made a fairly brash statement in 1967 that "the medium is the message" and that its content is fairly trivial. Is this still a valid conclusion? [or something - I'm working on it...]
Does helping us know our ed tech history help us predict or better understand our future? In 2100 or even 2050, what might be the key ideas or technologies that future educational technologists will look back to and say - "now this was a real game-changer"? - I really like this question :)
Has educational media and technology paid off over time? Who cares about old media— the future is in new media, isn’t it? Has teaching labour been historically displaced by educational media and technology?
How "Mac" are you? Has Apple played a critical role in educational technology, or were they merely among the first? Would (some) classrooms have iPads if it hadn't been for Steve Jobs? Comment on your thoughts on Apple in Education.
Week's Plans?
I think we should start putting together a clear plan for our colleagues for the week - what do we want to them to do and when?
What day are we ready to get started? I'd love to get going tomorrow if possible. Doable, or not?
Visit our blog pages and read the readings suggested in our Vista site (provide links to the readings on our blog home page or elsewhere)
Enjoy our interactivities
Participate in our discussion questions, posted inside Vista. We'd prefer that everyone dive deeply into one or two of our suggested topics to create a meaningful dialogue rather than an independent and isolated posting. [List these questions on our blog home page, so people can consider them as they explore our site & the module readings & links]
I'd love to have 1 or 2 (past & present) videos on our introductory page. What do you think of these - pick 1 or 2 favourites:
Hey, group. I just finished uploading the "McLuhan explanations" but to the blog. It's tough to read but I'm blaming our retro formatting for that. I'd like to attach a .pdf to it so that people have a choice to read it offline, but I'm not sure how. Anywho, take a peek at it if you've got the time and let me know what you think, please. If it's easier email the pdf to me peglaws@hotmail.com and I will make the link. Excellent idea. Yeah, I hate reading things on the web. I need my paper copies...
Looking good Eric. Maybe just add a heading before your section on Reading Notes, to separate it from the quotation above. I wonder if maybe it wouldn't hurt to add something at the top about your/our views about how McLuhan specifically relates (or we guess him to relate) to educational technology specifically, or at the top pose that as a discussion question for our classmates? I'm thinking that's one of the key's to understanding McLuhan for this particular class. Thoughts on this?
I added a little caveat at the top before I got into my explanations. I think asking the question of how McLuhan's work applies to educational technology would be an interesting discussion question.
I uploaded a "summary" of the Children of Telstar article too. There wasn't much to say about it, so I just tried to highlight two or three important thoughts/quotes. (LIke, there REALLY wasn't much to discuss - it's a straight-forward case study.)
Good. Any videos or other media you would like to add to that page so it isn't all text? There are a couple of McLuhan videos. One is that Canadian Heritage PSA at the bottom of every page - would be better to put on your page. There is another good one you had found. I can help you add those if you like; let me know, it is your page.
Yeah, can we (and by "we" I mean "you") please move that Youtube clip onto the McLuhan article page, please? Somewhere right before I start disecting the article. I can't find a better one and I've always liked those "heritage" commercials...
Thanks Peggy - I can now edit the blog :)
Hey Peggy, you around? I tried the link. I did check under My Blogs, but the only one listed is the one I was starting for my own e-portfolio. I never recieved an email confirmation for this blog. Can you recheck the email you sent it to? ejrella@gmail.com? I'm available to chat for a bit if you are around. It's 10 am.
Emily, see notes below about trying to access the blog. Alexis & Eric - do you want to send me (peglaws@hotmail.com) your email address and create your own WordPress accounts, then I will add you to the blog so you can edit. Some good basic instructions for using WP - http://learn.wordpress.com/get-acquainted/
Sunday
Happy Thanksgiving all! Hope you are having a great weekend! Peggy, I'm still having trouble getting into behind the scenes of the blog. I have an account, but there doesn't seem to be a link to the dashboard on the dropdown menu for me. I haven't got an invitation from you yet for the blog - is that why? Thanks!
I added this sentence later - try going directly to the Wordpress main site and log in. Check under My Blogs - you should see ours listed I'm thinking.
Hmmm. not sure. I did send you the invite a few days ago, I see that you were then automatically added as a contributer & I bumped you up to an administrator. Can you get to the dashboard by following this link http://historyeducationaltechnology.wordpress.com/wp-admin/index.php ?
I'll be around all day today - want to try to meet back at http://breeze.cornerstonesd.ca/met ? We could troubleshoot your access. Even if only you & I can meet this morning, just for a few minutes, so you can get going, working on the blog. Send an email to me at peglaws@hotmail.com or post on this wiki.
at the bottom of the references and links page of this wiki, I've started to compile our references and links in APA format for our project - i've only put in the article references and the one youtube clip on McLuhan so far - more to be added - excellent. That needs to be done; thank you! There is a Resources page on the blog - if you want to put them there, that would be great - that's where we really need them.
Peggy - I accepted your invitation and also created a wordpress account and it looks like i'm an author of the blog too...silly question though, how am I able to edit the content of the pages? (i've done this before, but can't seem to figure it out)...on the dashboard, I can only click on the posts...do you know what I need to do?
It took me some time to learn, too. STeps:
Go to http://www.wordpress.com & log in. If you have it remember you, I don't think this always has to be step 1
Go to our blog at http://historyeducationaltechnology.wordpress.com. If you've logged in you'll see in the upper left (above the blog, below your browser menus) a small History of Educational Technology bar. Click or hover over that & a drop-down menu displays. Select the link to the dashboard to get behind the scences of our blog.
Once in dashboard, look at nav items on the left. Find the one for Pages & open. I usually select view all pages; then edit the one you want or add a new one.
Let me know if that gets you started.
Sunday
I've added a page to the blog with some links to some classic games & things. Easy to remove if we don't want it.
Saturday
I'd love to have discussions posted right on our blog pages, I'm not finding out how to do that other than the home page. Tomorrow is my Turkey Day, so a meeting tomorrow won't work well for me unless we meet in the morning. Even if we all can't meet at the same time. Video montage is a wonderful idea but to do it well takes time, esp. if you've never done one before.
Alexis, I think the idea of an apple/steve jobs timeline would work (I still think the regular timeline thing is played out - it is really overused). Maybe we could just have a timeline of the most recent past (thirty years or so? Apple onwards?). I still like the video montage too - hasn't been done, but don't know how difficult this would be to put together. What does everyone else think? Still working away on our activities page. When are we meeting next? Go team!
I also looked at interactive and collaborative timeline generators (this one incorporates video and audio clips as well) - www.dipity.com - and yes, someone has already created a steve jobs timeline...think I may go with this and play around with it - not exactly the video montage theme we were brainstorming the other night, but it may work - I will incorporate some of the notes on the historical highlights page to start with, then invite classmates to add in their own highlights as one of our interactivities? Trying to add you Alexis. You all may need WordPress accounts so I can add you; Alexis, it didn't associate your email with a WP account, but check your email to see if you get an invite.
I looked at the wordpress site and it looks good, fits with our theme, agreed - I've used wordpress before with my students, and it may be a better way to present our content...I'm thinking that if we do go with wordpress for this, then maybe we should scrap the prezi to keep our presentation more simplified? my email is adsmauricio@gmail.com.
For use with Wordpress I created a polldaddy account for us to use. Login with peglaws@hotmail.com, password etec511. I'm just about to give it a try to see if it'll be useful for our project.
My mac's been in the shop since Thursday. I finally got it back. It's still busted... I'll do my best to keep up.
:-(. Sorry about the Mac. While I know we were talking about a Prezi, and I think we could still incorporate that, we still need a house for most of the content. For those of you who don't know Prezi, think of PowerPoint on steroids. A great tool, but still better for presenting things as points & not great for larger chunks of texts. Maybe we should skip prezzi and just keep with the blog? Check the WordPress blog I started. A new design template was created to honour Steve Jobs, and while relatively ugly compared to what a WordPress site can be, I think it really fits in well with our weekly theme. Once I get your email addresses I will add you as collaborators; you may need to create a free WordPress account. WordPress requires a bit of learning, I know. But if I can recall how to set it up has a very good discussion tool. For one of my MET classes we used WordPress instead of Vista. We could add discussions on each of our main pages, and host the discussions right there perhaps. It does have a polling feature as well I believe. I can assist with anyone having trouble using it; I've been working a bit on a Steve Jobs/Apple page. WOuld like your opinions of this whole Word Press approach - if we want to switch gears will need to do so soon. I think it would really be nice to have something ready to go late Sunday or Monday for the the class, not next Thursday, if possible, but I know we all have holiday plans. - will do more work tomorrow and Monday during the day, but have plans with family sun and mon night...
Friday
Sorry I wasn't available yesterday. I'm trying out a few things tonight & can set up a prezi tomorrow. If we're interested, I' playing around with a WordPress site maybe we'd like to use to house some content - they had an appropriate theme as you'll see. All of the current text is just so something is on the page and to indicate the possible page topic. I can add you all as contributors if you send me your email (peglaws@hotmail.com).http://historyeducationaltechnology.wordpress.com/ >
Polls - just playing around on the Wordpress blog. It integrates with a poll site called polldaddy - http://polldaddy.com/
Thursday
maybe try Poll everywhere - I've used it with my own class - it depends on how you want to use it though
Question for everyone: anyone used a poll creater before? If so, could you recommend a good site? Thanks!
Amazing to watch the old videos of Steve Jobs & Apple (I'll add more on separte wiki page here). Just reading about how he was very concerned about design , not just function. The medium is the message came back to mind - how important has the "coolness" factor of apple products been at enticing people towards technology? Also Apple's very famous 1984 Mac commercial . His ability to effectively use the medium has created an Apple cult in a way. I think it perhaps worthwhile to get our classmates to make between the various readings - something to consider when either phrasing our discussion questions or monitoring them.
Orgeon Trail - I didn't want to download the required plugin on my work computer but check out this site. Might be great to include such a classic game as an interactivity option for the class. It was noteworthy too I think as an early educational game. Great idea. Would love to do this under "activities" although would everyone hav to download the plugin to do so?
Here's a little video about Steve Jobs. Not sure if it's any help or not. http://tech.ca.msn.com/apple-says-steve-jobs-has-died-2There's a little video on the right hand side. It's powerful - especially when thinking in larger terms. Which video in particular did you like Eric? There were several about Steve Jobs there.
Wednesday (from chat)
thoughts from Moody article: . . .mentions (p. 2) – Mamaroneck public school district – declared “understanding media” as a basic skill that should be consciously taught; can be achieved best through active use of the newer media, chiefly film and television – it also emphasized producing or writing with this media rather than simply watching or reading them - can relate this to 21st century skills which are important in today's classrooms - media literacy, information literacy (21st century skill) are two of the important 21st century skills that should be taught (www.p21.org)
Wednesday
Possibly new direction/focus to consider, with Steve Job's passing today. About how history of ed tech can be so dependent on the work of one visionary. How would ed tech be different today without his work in the garage in the early 70's?
(Do I post too much??). It was not my intention at all, but we actually have an extension on planning our project. Sorry? Or is that a good thing?
I read that bit about the extension. Does that mean it's also extended the other way too? As in, Thursday -> Thursday... I appreciate the posts. It's comforting to know someone else out there is panicked about this project too ;) I, too, thought about Thurs -> Thurs but hope that would not be the case as it would throw the whole course schedule off. Will need to verify that with Matuil.
I've added some videos on Marshall McLuhan on the References and Links page - don't know if you guys want to use them, but maybe some interesting clips there?
Eric, our Marshall McLuhan expert. Can you explain why our readings this week included McLuhan's paper? Visiting the other DLG wikis for our Ed History week, created in earlier versions of this course, this link wasn't included except in the most recent one I think. So what message are the professors trying to send us/get us to think about with this new resource? I think we have to discuss it from an educational technology point of view. Maybe they're just looking at how McLuhan was one of, if not the, first to theorize and acknowledge this new societal development - that inert technologies were making serious inroads into our way of life. Many of those videos - thanks for posting! - relate to the relatively new medium of television. I haven't looked at the videos yet. Is that old "Candian Heritage" tv add in there? You know, the ones examing past great thinkers from Canada. I can see it in my head...What are we to take from this, and how do we lead our classmates?
Relatedly - should we counter McLuhan's view with another view? I'm trying to wrap my head around why the course designers included him, and those instructional machines, as the only real content for the history of ed tech week. Like the other reading, I think they're here to serve as a "starting point" into contemporary educational practices. They had to start somewhere, and McLuhan was quick to pick'em out. The second reading, while fun to read, offers little other than a case study, and perhaps cultural framework in which to situate the burgeoning ways in which technology was explored and utitlized in an educational setting.
I've added some comments to Emily's posts from last night; food for thought before tonight. Tonight's get together - try the http://breeze.cornerstonesd.ca/met connection before then if possible, with a headset. Look for the green microphone icon in the nav bar at the top. Adobe Connect is great when it works well. We could use the Google doc to actively collaborate simultaneously, and the Connect connection will allow us voice capabilities while we use the google doc.
Tuesday
last post of the night, I promise. (The more posts the merrier!) There are some great resources that we could use as our " activities" at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/resources/teachers/. Highlight "21st century schools" and a host of quizzes, short clips, and polls come up regarding the use of educational technologies in schools. I think we could reallly tie this link in if we choose our focus questions accordingly. (I agree - thanks for that link earlier; I found much to like there. Perhaps start listing some of your particular favourites on the References & Links page, along with a possible note about how to incorporate it. No ideas are bad ideas at this point)
Two questions below that we could pose of our own:
What were the major shifts (historically) in educational technology?
(I like this one; could make a good discussion question)
What are the reasons for educational technology failures?
(Also good, but failure maybe too strong of a word - poor predictions possibly? I was thinking about 1 thing we can learn from studying history is "how good were the predictions of the future?" For example my Socrates piece on the Historical Highlights page. Also, when I was a kid in the early 60's, video phones were just around the corner. Well, 40 years later they have finally arrived. This could be a good discussion question on asking the class to make some predictions)
I think the following three questions from our module are interesting approaches. Thoughts? (I have given some of my own thoughts, but these could be put to the entire class to generate discussion)
Has educational media and technology paid off over time?
(Is it really a question of "paying off over time", or is progress simply the path we take. Maybe a different path would have given us a better pay off? )
Who cares about old media— the future is in new media, isn’t it?
(Regarding old media - I would say it is relevant in that technology is evolutionary - new technology builds on it's precursors)
Has teaching labour been historically displaced by educational media and technology?
(This is an interesting area of concern. Has/will online distance ed replace the F2F classroom?)
I also like the graphic in the link "What is Historical Research". It includes: performance, narrative, agency, treatment, structure, context and condition. We could think about approaching our presentation via these six headings....
(OK, I'm not particularly liking this approach. You would have to sell me more on this one)
I've been trying to research educational failures and I can't really find any (or think of any for that matter). Anyone else able to come up with any? If not, maybe we could take the approach of why not all technologies are successful in the classroom. This link leads to a journal exerpt discussing what needs to occur in the classroom for technology to be successful. http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5002470068
Interesting read but may get us too far off topic. Regarding failures, see my other comment about about faulty predictions as a slightly different approach.
I'm afraid Thurs night won't work for me now! Sorry! Friday or the weekend? Can't make this weekend - it's Thanksgiving and we are gone every evening (except Sat). I can meet tomorrow (wed).Or tomorrow if need be, if we can't organize enough to start via the wiki.
Wed would be good for me - 6:30 BC time? Sounds good. Are we meeting on the google doc or the cornerstone? We do need to get going, esp if this Turkey weekend will be busy. Please keep adding your own ideas, etc. to this wiki. I feel I take too much control and take over and I would love for everyone to add their own input. We're getting to the stage where we need to start adding concrete materials, not just ideas. You should see on the Nav bar at the left, 3rd from the top - New Page. Add a new page when needed. Did you all set Notify Me to let you know when any page in this wiki changes?
Hi - I found the Moody article - but I couldn't figure out how to attach the PDF file to this wiki (sorry - not so good with wikis) - check your email on Vista, as I sent it to you guys there - I can meet Thurs. 6:30 Van time too You are all doing great with wikis. When in edit mode there is a FILE button in the editing bar - visit that and it will help you add a file. But I got it via Vista email, so thanks!
I already had the article and mailed it to everyone (also, I guess) in VISTA. I suppose we can all read it twice now! Chat time works for me. I'll get started ton breaking down the articles tonight. - funny, I was just about to send it when I saw your email in Vista, so I didn't send my email :) Hee hee. I win! FINALLY something's gone my way today. (how sad is that?)
A meeting sometime this week would be good. Thursday? Thursday is good for me. I can meet at 6:30 Van time. I could also meet later in the evening if we need to. I am an hour ahead of you so if we could try to meet at 6:30 - 7:00 your time if that isn't too early for you that would be good for me. Can I suggest meeting online at http://breeze.cornerstonesd.ca/met - log in as a guest. Try to test that link a day or 2 before we plan to meet; look for the microphone icon in the menu row to turn it on - you then get a window to accept/decline microphone access. This wiki does not allow more than 1 person to edit at a time. Or a Google doc is good for synchronous collaboration.
Let's start brainstorming now some possible approaches we want to take for next week. Here are some suggestions based on our discussions so far:
An historical timeline. I agree they are used too much. That's a negative for me, but maybe also a necessity. If we use, maybe if we add a few key points along the path, then have classmates add to it for an interactive piece (a past group had also done that; not an original idea). If someone has an alternate idea for a timeline as a way to present some key historical events I would love to try something new.
Subcategory - both hits and misses.
A brief summary of readings & media from MET class - I found a link to Moody (also on References & Links page) - but to entire book! I don't have time to read. Emailed Matiul about this - he's looking into it. Quick overview here, from past DLG. Eric, do you have a different link? Some past DLG's went into extensive (!!) summary of individual readings; I don't think we need to be that detailed. Eric, you seem to have the best take on McLuhan - interested in being our literature reviewer??
I'll gladly review and summarize the course readings - but I've got no time to read an entire new book this week (or any week for that matter ;) )
Discussion questions. I would recommend we pose two, maximum of three, discussion questions for the group. Because Monday is holiday, what do you think of allowing participation at least 1 of the Tues/Wed SOUL days? I think that is a good idea. Me too - but do we have to clear that with Matiul first? I would encourage classmates to follow one or two people's initial points, and discuss more deeply along 1 thread, instead of encouraging everyone just to post their own independent thought, which tends not to lead to good actual discussions. Make sense? McLuhan is the only real article; Telstar is just a description of a major tech push into the classroom I think. I do kind of like where Eric & I were headed, but not upset if we can find a different approach.
We should answer why it is important to know some history. What were the other leading questions in the module? I think when we talk on thursday, we should decide on 2-3 of the question outlined in the module, and also address 1-2 points of our own. I.e. failures or some other idea. Agreed. Others that we should address?
Is there an alternate way to our Vista discussions that we could have classmates meet & discuss? A different past DLG group used Voicethread which as a neat alternative.
It does seem like the timeline has been done quite a bit in the past presentations...but it may be important enough to have to incorporate - maybe a different take on a timeline (I don't have any suggestions yet). I definitely think we should start narrowing down our focus. Are you guys able to access the Moody article? There is no link to it in the module. Also maybe we should pick a time in the next couple days that we could all be here and discuss in real time. Thoughts? - no - am not able to access the Moody article either - I'm free to meet Wednesday or Thursday night this week - does that work for you guys? Speaking of timelines, what is our timeline for completing this? Are we expected to have this done by this coming Monday (beginning of the module week?) We have to present/faciliatate starting the week of Mon Oct 17th, I believe. I thought I read that somewhere...
See the Sunday evening report fot the conversation Eric & I are having. Would like other opinions - is this an approach we might want to take? This might be a busy week for us as we prepare for next week; I often won't be able to check in until evenings. I'm thinking now of some type of historical review - but might prefer classmates to contribute rather than us assembling a long timeline, but perhaps spend the bulk of our presentation on how historical ideas such as McLuhan relates to current educational thought and the role of technology. Emily's Oct 2 mention of that statistic also fits in. I also really like Emily's idea of failures. - yes, me too - should that be another page on the wiki?
Sunday evening
Even though our topic is history of ed tech, I keep feeling that the readings we were given are out of date. To me, something like Prensky's (2001)(and part 2) Digital Natives/Digital Immigrants is often more relevant. His ideas, and now brain research, tends to suggest a radical shift in how students learn as a result of adapting to the influence of technology in their everyday lives. Are we in the midst of a major historical shift? I don't yet have a good understanding of McLuhan's Media is the Message, but perhaps these newer ideas are an extension of that? Is anyone else familiar with these newer concepts? I wonder if there is a way to tie in the module readings with more current "history"? Much of current theory of 21st Century learning - having students actively involved in creating, & web 2.0 which makes this easier, really seems tied into Moody's Telstar ideas. Perhaps these newer ideas we could raise & get the classmates involved via discussions.
I've done a bit of reading on McLuhan in another course - 531. His infamous statement refers to the fact that more important than what is being said, is how it's being said. A digital billboard advertising McDonald's is no more or less impressive/important than a digital billboard listing airport departures. In both instances, it's the medium that's important - the means of conveying the information.
Each medium displays content that is perceived in another medium. For example, The airport departure list displays words, and words are text, and text is language, and language is thought. Each level of content can be derived back a step to a more fundamental level.
Another example would be a painting. People ask "what is the painting about". McLuhan would argue "the painting is about the painting"! Look no further than the painting itself. The painting IS, and that's what's important.
I guess I fail to see how those ideas related then to technology & education. Is it that tech has no special relevance or importance, the message could be delivered in any of a number of other ways and still be as effective? Or/and is it that the technology is THE important thing, more than what is taught thru the technology, and it has changed us, society, and education? If it is this last point, then it does start to tie into the digital natives/digital immigrants idea I think - our students today are different because the medium of technology has irreovacably changed us. I've put a few quick links about Prensky's ideas on the References & Links page if his thoughts are new to you. Also, he is a quick read - I gave the links above.
THAT'S IT! the technology is THE important thing, more than what is taught thru the technology, and it has changed us, society, and education. Regardless of what you're watching ON tv, you're WATCHING tv and THAT makes all the difference.
And is that a good thing or negative thing? What are the words I'm looking for here . . .
Good/bad don't enter into it. The fact that it IS is the (only important) thing.
Yes, according to McLuhan. It seems other readings I've done, & maybe our current one, talks about tech determinism as good or bad. Maybe not something that is relevant here. Or is it relevant for educational technology? Probably, but then we move too far away from our historical approach.
Right, yeah, according to McLuhan. I don't think we should stray too far from his point of view as it's the only one officially covered in the readings. I think we should focus on the concept that the technology is the important thing.
Sunday too
Welcome everyone! I'll admit it's a little tough to dive right back into another fairly major effort after just finishing the theorizing et assignment.Whew! Glad that one is now handed in. But on the plus side, our time will be much freer when it comes to working on the major paper. A few Sunday afternoon thoughts . . .
Just so you know, I like to brainstorm by writing things down. After things settle for a few ideas, I find some ideas I still like, others can be trashed. So don't hesitate to be less than enthusiastic about things I may jot down.
I've been looking at some of the past DLG projects, both our topic & others. The bar is high! Lots of great ideas. Some things I've seen; typically any 1 DLG will include many forms, often hosted inside a wiki or weebly
Wikis that invite the other class members to post. A blog is another alternative to housing our various pieces.
Voicethreads used to summarize the readings, and inviting others to post (instead of or an alternative to written discussion postings)
Prezi
Lots of YouTube videos
Surveys
Timelines
to be continued . . . . feel free to add to this list
I suppose we will prepare brief summaries of the McLuhan article (or his ideas in general), and of the other media. Eric - what was the 2nd article? Looking at some past DLG 6 there were other articles; maybe removed. How to best tie it all together? I'll post some thoughts later.
The second article is the "Children of Telstar" one. Moody, 1999. It's a case study. A quick and easy read. It boils down to "learn by playing".
What do we want to present - what are the key ideas & how do they relate to each other? How to present it - our media? How do we want other classmates to participate?
I just read the articles. Pretty straightforward. I started to listen to the audio clip as well but my machine kept dying on me...
The McLuhan based article, (The Medium is the Message) boils down to the fact that it's more important HOW you do/say something than WHAT is actually being said/done. It illustrates the point with several examples such as lightbulbs, electric signs and locomotives. HOW we do things shapes HOW we live and is inherently more meaningful than WHAT we do. (ie: who cares WHAT apple pie does, it's delicous!)
The second article is a case study of students at a pair of schools in the 70's discovering media technologies. The crux of this article is on the second page (and restated again later) that: "understanding media" is a basic skill that should be consciously taught. The article also mentions how the students (and faculty) learned through play - experimenting with the technologies, using them in different ways and combining techniques.
Sun, Oct 2
just brainstorming again last night and heard a stat on a tedtalk that went something like this "In the next 30 years, more people than ever will be progressing through education, in part due to technolgy" (it was a UNESCO stat and I can look up later for clarification). This might be an interesting take. Also what about how in the recent past, having a bach. degree was all you needed for a career. But now, more than ever, people can easily obtain (and do) bachelor degrees online. Now degrees are becoming somewhat obselete ..if you want to have a career or be considered in the workforce, many times you require a masters or phd.
Technology has definitely driven education, with the most noticeable leaps being in the last few decades...
Saturday, October 1st
Hi guys - sorry I wasn't able to keep in touch - just got back from my outdoor ed trip last night, so I'm just trying to play catch up with the theorizing assignment (which I still don't understand!) and the current module - thank you for compiling some great resources and ideas so far - haven't had chance to look at any of the relevant readings for our topic yet, but once I finish the assignment, I will begin doing research - Alexis
Also Fri, Sept 30:)
Hi Peggy et. al. The whole post below was mine, just didn't sign off on it...oops. Yes, I think that the future idea is a great one - very out of the box. We could definitely incorporate the TedTalk below for that.... Here is also a link to a bunch of short but interesting interviews regarding technology in school, and incorporating different points of view on technology and learning...
Great link Emily - thanks! Lots of great videos to watch there.
I also think it would be interesting to discuss educational technological FAILURES in history to perhaps address the questions from our module, "Has educational media and technology paid off over time?
I agree - that would be very good to include failures, and if possibly why they were failures. I started a Historical Highlights page - see nav at left. Maybe that would be a good place to compile hits & misses.
Some lament the separation of curriculum from instruction via media and technology, and subsequent displacement of instructional labour by capital"
Will keep on looking for more resources - Emily
Friday, Sept 30
Hi everyone! This is my first time using a wiki...good times. Peggy, I like the prezi idea. I've used and it's fun...I also agree that interactive is a great idea, and a timeline quiz sounds interesting. Will get started on some research and check back soon:)
Any interesting and short TedTalk. Showing how some researchers are trying to widen the availability of technology for educators by basically replicating novel technology for cheap... that we coud tie into the statement: "This module addresses issues such as how, why and to what degree media and technology have been incorporated into, or changed by, education over time."
Another great Ted talk - Emily, you should post this in our current week's discussion - a good affordable option for technology
Education certainly is driving factor for new technologies and most schools are incorporating one form or another...is the future of education technology in our own hands? Just a thought. Let me know what you think. p.s. haven't looked into whether other groups have used this in the past...
I absolutely love the idea of talking about how education drives new technologies! Think of a timeline - I think if we can present a brief history, something about current day, but then continue our timeline into the future with what you mention Emily (?; not sure who posted the comments above). A (an?) historical timeline that continues into the future, and doesn't just stop with current day . . . getting the picture? I think that would be very powerful, creative, out-of-the-box!! Maybe add as an interactive piece &/or a discussion, something about . . . in 100 years from now, how will people look back at our current day ed-tech in a historical sense?
Thursday, Sept 28
As a break from Theorizing assignment I've glanced at our Module. Nice & short! I've made some notes on a Historial Hightlights page; just jotting notes down. I see past classes have all used a wiki to present this DLG week - I'd love for us to try something different. Blog? Prezi? Video? There will be the discussion board, but would be nice if we could think of something interactive. A timeline quiz?
Monday, Sept 26
Welcome Group! Thanks for giving a wiki a try. I've found these work very well for group work - easier to follow thatn a discussion thread, and since it's easy to create many separte pages, better for planning & working than a shared Google Doc. Anybody else have any experience with them?
Some practices we've found useful in the past:
Identifying yourself by colour often handy
Posting dates as above for discussions, newer items on top. Unless responding to earlier postings by others.
We can create different pages for different pages - e.g. references, reading notes, etc. Best not to let any single page get too long. I may start creating a new page or 2 - see nav bar on the left.
Two suggestions for now:
Click the Notify Me tab at the top. Read carefully - set a notification to be emailed to you when any page of the wiki is changed; the default option is onlyu if the current page is changed.
Take a few minutes to just play around for now - Edit, Save, change text colour (4th button from the left in the icon bar).
If this doesn't work for us, we can find another way to collaborate. I can readily set up live webinars anytime we want to arrange a live meeting.
Looking forward to working with you all!
Monday, Sept 26
Thanks for setting this up, Peggy. I'll be able to allocate much more time to this once I've got my "Theorize" assignment out of the way.
- Eric.
Yes - I have done some reading for that assignment but otherwise haven't started as I still find the assignment description confusing. I had forgotten about tonight's chat. I read the transcripts but didn't gain much more insight. Hopefully something will come!
Getting Started
Click on the edit button above to put your own content on this page.
Need Help?
Click on the help link above to learn more about how to use your wiki.
Welcome to Our ETEC 511 Wiki - History of Educational Technology
Peggy
Emily
Alexis
Eric
Sunday, November 6th
ok - I submitted the assignment via the assignment drop box and I wrote an email to Matiul and cc'd you guys to say that it was there and asked him if anything else is required...hopefully that's it!
-I also created a new thread and posted the direct link to the wrapup page on the wordpress blog
Awesome. Thanks, Alexis. ...and now we wait...
Saturday, November 5th
thanks for the feedback. I will post this on the wrap-up section of our blog and I will officially submit our assignment to Matiul. Do I need to also send an email to the entire class about our wrap-up? Is that necessary?Friday, November 4th
please look this over - feel free to edit, revise, cut, add, etc...not sure of how to end it though... I think that's very good Alexis - you've done a great job. I made a few minor suggestions to wording but really like the thoughts you've put forth. I don't mind that last sentence as the ending. I sign off on this. I like it. Done. Thanks, Alexis. It looks great.Overall, we felt that our presentation on the history of educational technology was successful; our peers were engaged in the discussions and related activities, and we provided clear summaries of the readings as well as a variety of interactivities.
One of our goals was to remind our audience of our past with technology and encourage reflection back to our earliest memories through the historical timeline, the influence of Apple Computers on educational technology culture, and the Children of Telstar. We also tried to glimpse at the future of education and technology through our interactivities, particularly the Old School, New School video quiz as well as the Ted talk video with Johnny Lee's inexpensive interactive white board alternative.
A number of interesting points were raised in the discussion of McLuhan’s article, ‘The Medium is the Message’. Are the social graces and customs of past generations being wiped clean by the internet? The prolific use of technology for communication, especially texting, emailing, and message boards has caused many individuals to write and say things they may not in a face to face situation. Our ethics cannot keep up with the rapid advances of technology. Simply put, the way in which our technology effects and affects us is the ‘message’. The technology bringing about these changes is the ‘medium’.
Most of our audience stated that the Internet is the most significant technological shift that has affected education. The Internet has provided students with a 'library at their fingertips'; learning can easily take place beyond classroom walls, and it has been a catalyst for the growth of online courses. Furthermore, the need for students to develop Internet literacy skills has become much more crucial in the age of 21st century learning. Others also mentioned that the implementation of Wi-Fi technology has allowed for more accessible and portable Internet use.
Our colleagues were also asked to comment on their position on the ‘Old School New School’ spectrum after completing a quiz to determine their educational perspective on digital media and technology. Positions on the spectrum ranged from ‘skeptic’ to ‘old school’ or ‘new school’. In a new school setting, the teacher’s role is more of a facilitator where student collaboration is valued. Furthermore, The accompanying video states that teachers “...sometimes have to be entertainers...”This comment generated some discussion; one noted that being entertained does not equate to being engaged, and that the priority should be engagement for students over entertainment. Another noted that the role of teacher as entertainer could be interpreted as learning being fun, enjoyable, and playful.
Perhaps the ideal is to achieve a balance between old school and new school methods. Instead of completely phasing out old school strategies, combining them with new technologies may prove to be effective. For example, combining the use of Twitter along with the Socratic method of questioning may teach students to be succinct in their responses while allowing several people to engage in debate over an issue. However, another person noted that in the wake of new school methods, students may “...lose their ability to persevere and rationalize their way through more difficult and tedious tasks because they are so accustomed to immediate feedback and responses...” The use of technology has ultimately led teachers to find new ways to connect with students and has helped create communities which encourage lifelong learning.
Wednesday, November 2nd
sorry for being slow with this guys - I only started working on this tonight and will get this done over the weekend...brief summary (not nearly finished) so far:
One of the goals of our presentation was to remind our audience of our past with technology and encourage reflection back to our earliest memories through the historical timeline, the influence of Apple Computers and on educational technology culture, and the Children of Telstar. We also wanted to glimpse at the future of education and technology through our interactivities, particularly the Old School, New School video quiz as well as the Ted talk video on Johnny Lee.
A number of interesting points were raised in the discussion of McLuhan’s article, ‘The Medium is the Message’. Are the social graces and customs of past generations being wiped clean by the internet? The prolific use of technology for communication, especially texting, emailing, and message boards has caused many individuals to write and say things they may not in a face to face situation. Our ethics cannot keep up with the rapid advances of technology. Simply put, the way in which our technology effects and affects us is the ‘message’. The technology bringing about these changes is the ‘medium’.
Most of our audience stated that the Internet is the most significant technological shift that has affected education. It has provided students with a 'library at their fingertips'; in other words, instant access to information. Learning can easily take place beyond classroom walls, and the Internet has been a catalyst for the growth of online courses. Furthermore, the need for students to develop Internet literacy skills has become much more crucial in the age of 21st century learning. Others also mentioned that the implementation of Wi-Fi technology has allowed for more accessible and portable Internet use.
Looks good so far. Should we be admitting that we didn't understand the McLuhan article? No need to tip our hand, no?... I agree with Eric here, and actually I thought we had pretty good class participation on that topic. Not quite as much with the others, but not bad - I'm glad we included that question. sure - I can make the changes about McLuhan in the summary
Sunday
- Sorry, because I missed that last online chat, I don't want to miss anything else. I had thought I was just supposed post some thoughts on how it all went, but I am just double checking that I don't have additional responsibilites that I have missed! :) - No, you're all good Emily. We just wanted a paragraph or 2 to wrap up our week, and thought we'd begin by posting some thoughts & ideas. I've been away at teachers' convention, then a conference, for most of the last week. I don't even think a formal wrap-up is required, but we thought it would be good to do it anyway - and post it both on our blog site as well as in Vista. Now that some thoughts have been posted - who'd like to take a stab at writing up a nice, concise summary?
- Sorry. Life caught up with my this week. It's been crazy around here...
- The summary and stuff looks great. I think all the bases have been covered. As Peggy mentioned, are we going into too much detail on some of the questions? I'm not even really sure what to say at this point: the week went well, there was TONS of discussions about all kinds of things, everybody wins!
- I'm still trying to get caught up with everything that's been going on over here. Hopefully I'll be more useful tomorrow.
- Looking good guys. I don't have much to add. If we're going to go into a little depth on 1 or 2 questions, we should probably do the same for all. We probably don't need to go into too much detail for them. Critiquing our own work - never hurts, but I would call it critiquing, not criticizing. What might we have done differently? I was pretty happy with how it all went, and the degree of participation from the classmates. Perhaps we could have added a chat, but I don't know if it would have added much - I personally feel people can get into a little more depth & detail with their written postings, and certainly not everyone is able to make it to the selected chat times.
- What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
-the response that generated the most discussion from this question was the Internet, and how it has provided students with instant access to information, in essence, a 'library at their fingertips' - one even mentioned that a library without computers is useless-the Internet has allowed learning to go beyond classroom walls
-critical thinking needs to be taught with online research; students need media literacy skills (one of the 21st century skills) to be able to critically evaluate websites
-Internet - has also allowed online education to grow
-the use of Wi-Fi has enabled easier, portable Internet use (a better alternative to dial-up connections) no longer a need for computer labs or even stand-alone computer courses (more integration with IT in the curriculum)
-one other participant mentioned the use of touch-screen technology (iPads, Smartboards etc.) - this has allowed access to information to be even more direct and immediate, this type of technology fits students who could not use keyboards or mice effectively (special needs students, or even students who have difficulties with fine motor skills)
-touch-screen technology helps students who are visual (and also kinesthetic) learners - they can manipulate icons with their fingers, opens up access and control more easily
-sorry - the only question I haven't summarized is the McLuhan one, mainly because I still don't understand it....:)
I'll do the McLuhan one.
Do you think Marshall McLuhan’s argument that “the medium is the message” holds true today? How does it relate specifically to educational technology? Is content only secondary to the medium?
- good discussion on "consequences" (or message) of technology.
- the prolific use of technology for communication - texting, email, message boards - has led many to write and say things they may not in a first person situation. The anonymity and safety of the digital age are causing everyone to walk around with their chests puffed out.
- are the social graces and customs of past generations being wiped clean by the internet?
- The incredible technical advances are unfolding at a rate that our ethics can't seem to keep pace with.
- The way in which our technology effects and affects us is "the message".
- The technology bringing about these changes is "the medium".
* interesting discussions, though I think some people may have over-generalized things. Not every act of human stupidity or violence fits the "The Medium is the Message" framework. Some people - in the world - are just plain stupid. (Not the people in our class. Other people. Like Vancouver-lost-the-Stanley-Cup-so-let's-burn-things-to-the-ground people.)
Sat.
-thanks Emily for your thoughts - I think we have a good start so far :) don't know if it is necessary to criticize aspects of our presentation? what do you guys think?
-here are mine - apologies for the stream-of-consciousness here (will finish summarizing the other questions tomorrow)
Think of your own educational background as a student, and as an educator. Was there any particular technology, hardware or software, that really stands out in your memory? Why? Was it for its educational value, or just something fun and new?
- responses to this question varied:
-one participant mentioned that a 'teaching machine' stood out in his memory, which draws an obvious parallel to the teaching machines invented by Pressey (rote and drill teaching machine) and Skinner according to the history of ed tech
-the start of a computer science class was also mentioned - more particularly the invention of punch card computing
-the introduction of a computer in a classroom - typically one or two would be available at the back or side of a classroom where you had to sign in and these computers were seen as fragile or untouchable, where a majority of the students would complete their work on typewriters
-the use of a digital projector was also mentioned, allowing for presentations to be displayed easily
-the availability of periodical indexes on CD-ROM
The video in Activity 2, Old School New School presents two somewhat extreme views on technology use in the classroom. Where do you fit into the spectrum? Is Old School always bad, New School always good? Why fix what isn’t broken versus technology is the only way to reach today’s students? How do we know which path is really the right educational track?
-as expected, people had different positions on the spectrum, ranging from skeptic,'Old School','New School'
-there was some debate over whether new school methods don't require a teacher at all, just a technology assistant; however, there is still a place for teachers and their instructional strategies in a 'new school' environment (taking on more of the facilitator or guidance role in a constructivist learning environment) where student collaboration is valued
-the video at one point states that "sometimes we have to be entertainers" - one person noted that being entertained doesn't equate to being engaged, and that the priority should be engagement for students over entertainment (although difficult to sometimes do depending on the age level of your students); another person mentioned that the role of teacher as entertainer
could be interpreted as learning being fun, enjoyable and playful
-perhaps the ideal is to achieve a balance between old school and new school - instead of doing away with the old methods, combining them with new technologies may prove to be effective (one person mentioned an example - combining Twitter and the Socratic method of questioning, which may teach students to be succinct/concise in their responses, while allowing several people to engage in debate)
-another person mentioned that students may "lose their ability to persevere and rationalize their way through more difficult and tedious tasks because they are so accustomed to immediate feedback and responses" as a result of new school technologies
-another point - the use of technology leads to finding new ways to connect with students and create community that encourages learning
Thurs
Alexis, Eric, please let me know if you'd like more feedback for the summary:). I didn't really add any criticisms of our presentation as I don't think we want to present ourselves in that light - but I can add a few constructive criticisms if necessary. Will check back tomorrow.
Wed
Tuesday Evening
we had a chat Tuesday evening to discuss our wrap-up for the assignment - we decided to collaborate on our wrap-up here and it will be synthesized into 1-2 paragraphs on our blog
Tuesday Afternoon
Monday
Thursday Morning
Wednesday Evening
Wednesday Afternoon
- ok - I'm signing off - timeline has 14 entries and now has billy joel :)
- This is exciting being so close to the finish line (or at least for this part of the project)! I'm good with moving the questions to the Interactivities page; I'll modify the home page for that. I think 2 questions is not enough for some choice, and suggest this for wording, as well as an introductory blurb that will be moved off the home page. Questions 1 & 4 are similar but I don't mind having them as separate questions:
- We’ll invite you to contribute to our discussions which are posted inside our Vista class. Pick one topic or several that you feel most drawn to. While each topic contains several starter questions to encourage reflection, please talk only to the points that speak to you the most, or introduce your own thoughts. We also encourage the class to participate in deep & rich discussions on a few key topics instead of starting multiple independent thoughts or reflections.
- Think of your own educational background as a student, and as an educator. Was there any particular technology, hardware or software, that really stands out in your memory? Why? Was it for its educational value, or just something fun and new?
- Do you think Marshall McLuhan’s argument that “the medium is the message” holds true today? How does it relate specifically to educational technology? Is content only secondary to the medium?
- The video in Activity 2, Old School New School presents two somewhat extreme views on technology use in the classroom. Where do you fit into the spectrum? Is Old School always bad, New School always good? Why fix what isn’t broken versus technology is the only way to reach today’s students? How do we know which path is really the right educational track?
- What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
- Oh, and I'm good to go!
- Hi - the resources page is complete - sorry some of the URLs are quite long so they go a bit past the text box when you view...I also moved my historical timeline stuff to the Interactivities page...just heading home now from school, and I will work on finishing up my timeline and then sign off..
- Hi All. I've cleaned up the four discussion questions I think we should go with. Can you let me know if you want anything changed with them. I've included a Mcluhan question. As Eric and I said below, I feel like we should have these only on the Interactivites page, as it is a lot of info on the first page. Is that ok? I'm ok with that. Once I hear back from Alexis and Peggy, I will make the changes! And then sign off:) Thanks to all for your hard work:)
1. What was the first type of educational technology you remember using as a student that really stands out in your memory (e.g. Oregon Trail)? Why do you think this technology is so memorable and did it have any meaningful input into your learning?2. After watching the video in activity 2, please answer one or all of the following questions: Is technology overused in the class? Are the old instructional methods necessarily bad? How do we know which path is really the right educational track?
3.Explain the significance of McLuhan’s contributions to the history of educational technology. Why do you think his article was included in this week’s readings? What are we to learn from “the medium is the message”? Is the medium still the message?
4.What do you feel has been the most significant technological shift that has affected education. Why?
Tues afternoon & Evening
Tues morn.
Monday Evening
Peggy
Mon aft.
I started creating an interactive timeline on capzles.com - here is the link if you want to take a look:Possible Discussion Questions
(One or two for fun might not be a bad thing)Week's Plans?
Monday
Sunday
Already Invited
Sunday
Saturday
Friday
Thursday
- An cute little slideshow on quotes regarding education and technology through time. http://www.slideshare.net/randommind/a-brief-history-of-educational-technology
- Amazing to watch the old videos of Steve Jobs & Apple (I'll add more on separte wiki page here). Just reading about how he was very concerned about design , not just function. The medium is the message came back to mind - how important has the "coolness" factor of apple products been at enticing people towards technology? Also Apple's very famous 1984 Mac commercial . His ability to effectively use the medium has created an Apple cult in a way. I think it perhaps worthwhile to get our classmates to make between the various readings - something to consider when either phrasing our discussion questions or monitoring them.
- Orgeon Trail - I didn't want to download the required plugin on my work computer but check out this site. Might be great to include such a classic game as an interactivity option for the class. It was noteworthy too I think as an early educational game. Great idea. Would love to do this under "activities" although would everyone hav to download the plugin to do so?
Wednesday - Post chat findCould we use it as part of an introduction? Have not checked to see if others have used it before.
- Here's the link to the first apple commercial, and the most interesting thing (according to my husband:) is they only played this ad ONCE! Ever! Amazing!
- Here's a little video about Steve Jobs. Not sure if it's any help or not. http://tech.ca.msn.com/apple-says-steve-jobs-has-died-2 There's a little video on the right hand side. It's powerful - especially when thinking in larger terms. Which video in particular did you like Eric? There were several about Steve Jobs there.
Wednesday (from chat)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8the video of steve job's (not a college graduate - his stanford commencement address is also interesting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc)
demoing the first apple computer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0FtgZNOD44
thoughts from Moody article: . . .mentions (p. 2) – Mamaroneck public school district – declared “understanding media” as a basic skill that should be consciously taught; can be achieved best through active use of the newer media, chiefly film and television – it also emphasized producing or writing with this media rather than simply watching or reading them - can relate this to 21st century skills which are important in today's classrooms - media literacy, information literacy (21st century skill) are two of the important 21st century skills that should be taught (www.p21.org)
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
- If we are thinking timeline, here is one timeline creator that could be looked at:http://xtimeline.com/index.aspx
- It does seem like the timeline has been done quite a bit in the past presentations...but it may be important enough to have to incorporate - maybe a different take on a timeline (I don't have any suggestions yet). I definitely think we should start narrowing down our focus. Are you guys able to access the Moody article? There is no link to it in the module. Also maybe we should pick a time in the next couple days that we could all be here and discuss in real time. Thoughts? - no - am not able to access the Moody article either - I'm free to meet Wednesday or Thursday night this week - does that work for you guys? Speaking of timelines, what is our timeline for completing this? Are we expected to have this done by this coming Monday (beginning of the module week?) We have to present/faciliatate starting the week of Mon Oct 17th, I believe. I thought I read that somewhere...
- See the Sunday evening report fot the conversation Eric & I are having. Would like other opinions - is this an approach we might want to take? This might be a busy week for us as we prepare for next week; I often won't be able to check in until evenings. I'm thinking now of some type of historical review - but might prefer classmates to contribute rather than us assembling a long timeline, but perhaps spend the bulk of our presentation on how historical ideas such as McLuhan relates to current educational thought and the role of technology. Emily's Oct 2 mention of that statistic also fits in. I also really like Emily's idea of failures. - yes, me too - should that be another page on the wiki?
Sunday eveningSunday too
I just read the articles. Pretty straightforward. I started to listen to the audio clip as well but my machine kept dying on me...
Sun, Oct 2
Technology has definitely driven education, with the most noticeable leaps being in the last few decades...
Saturday, October 1st
Also Fri, Sept 30:)
Friday, Sept 30
"This module addresses issues such as how, why and to what degree media and technology have been incorporated into, or changed by, education over time."
Thursday, Sept 28
Monday, Sept 26
Monday, Sept 26
Thanks for setting this up, Peggy. I'll be able to allocate much more time to this once I've got my "Theorize" assignment out of the way.
- Eric.
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